Drying machine



T. ALLSOP AND W. W. SIBSON.

DRYING MACHiNE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 18, 1919.

Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

FIG. I.

o fkw.. .2.1- lil.-

(awr (t /N VE N 7'0R5 I Thomas I/leosf waxy-Bly Szsom A fro/ms.

WITNESSES:

' drawings.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS ALLSOP AND WALTER W. SIBSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNORS TO THE PHILADELPHIA DRYING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PHILA-DELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA'.

DRYING- MACHINE.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

To all whom t may cm1/061%." Y

Be it known that we, TrioMAsALLs'oP and lauren lW. SinsoN, citizens ofthe United States, residing in Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new'anduseful Improvements in Drying Machines, whereof the following is aspecification, reference being had Vto the accompanying The inventionrelates to drying machines of the type adapted for treating china,porcelain, or crockery wares, and is more particularly directed to meansfor circulating the air within the enclosure of the machine, and therelative disposal of such means with respect to the devices by which theatmosphere within is moderated, and also with respect to the runs of asupporting conveyor which traces a circuitous course within theenclosure. e

In the drawings, Fig. I, represents, more or less diagrammatically, alongitudinal sectional view of a drying machine conveniently embodyingour invention; .and

Fig. II, is a plan sectional view of the same on a reduced scale asviewed in the direction of the arrows II-II in Fig. I.

The structure herein represented is of a typical form and comprises ahousing or enclosure 1, which is subdivided internally by a transverse Ushaped partitioning unit2, into a drying chamber 3, and an auxiliarychannel consisting of vertical end ducts 4, 5, and a horizontalconnecting duct 6. A sprocket chainV conveyor, indicated conventionallyin dot and dash lines at 7 in Fig. I, of the drawings, is guided over acircuitous course within the drying chamber by means of sprockets 8.Certain portions of the conveyor are diverted to pass through theauxiliary channel so that loading and unloading may be readily efectedthrough openings 9 and 10, in the end-walls of the structure. The airwithin. the drying chamber is circulated by means of a centrally 1ocatedrotary fan 15, which revolves in a vertical plane under the support of ashaft 16. This shaft is journalled in bearings 17, mounted on angle.cross beams 18, and the fan is preferably encircled by a guard casing19, also supported upon said cross beams.

Fan 15, is driven, through the instrumentality of bevel gears 20, from ashaft 21, extending tothe exterior of the enclosure to aifcrd attachmentici' a power pulley 22. lt will be noted from the drawings that the fan15 is in the midst of the drying chamber, in such a position relative tothe top, bottom, and sides of the drying chamber that there is asurrounding interspace. As a result, the air propelled-by the fan iscaused to circulate radially in all directions in passing from thepressure to the suction side of the latter. The exact mode of suchcirculation will be readily understood by following the arrows in thedrawings, this action being of course reversible by driving the fan inthe opposite direction.

In either event, by reason of the interior construction of the machineand the relative disposal of the fan, the circulation is, for

all practical purposes, strictly conned to the drying chamber so thatthe auxiliary channel 6 is relatively substantially neutral, since thisauxiliary channel 6 communicates with the drying chamber only throughcomparatively narrow passages above the vertical components of thepartitioning unit 2, where the conveyor 7 passes from said channel tosaid drying chamber, and vice versa.

The atmosphere within the drying chamber may be heated or moderated by anumber of heating coil banks 25, which are distributed in symmetricalrelation to the fan, and preferably located between adjacent runs of theconveyor. It will be noted from Fig. I, that the heating coil banks atthe ends of the series are disposed somewhat higher than theintermediate banks, so as to be closer to the passages above mentionedat the top of the enclosure. By this arrangement, any possible influx ofair from the exterior will be immediately modified with- Y out anydetrimental effects upon the articles under treatment.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a drying machine, the combination of an enclosure;transversepartition means forming therein a drying chamber and a neutralauxiliary channel open to the exterior at the end-of the enclosure andcommunieating with said drying chamber only at the top thereof; a rotaryfan in the midst of said drying chamber revolving in a vertical plane,

so as to circulate the air radially in all directions from the pressureto they suction side thereof; and a conveyor traversing said dryingchamber and said auxiliary passage.

2. In a drying machine, the combination of an enclosure; transversepartition means forming therein a drying chamber and a neu.

tral auxiliary channel; arotary fan in the midst of said drying` chamberserving to circulate the fair radially in all directions from thepressure to the suction side thereof; said drying chamber communicatingwith said auxiliary passage only at its own corners, and said auxiliarypassage communicating with the exterior only at points remote `from itscommunication with said drying chamber.

3. In a drying machine, the combination of an enclosure; U-shapedpartition means subdividing the enclosure into a drying chamber and aneutral auxiliary channel, the latter being open to the exterior throughopenings in the end Walls ofthe enclosure and communicating withthevdrying chamber through comparatively narrow passages; means forcirculating the air Within the 'dryingl chamber; and heating unitsdistributed about said drying chamber, certain of such units beingdisposed directly adjacent the said passages.

41. In a drying machine, the combination of an enclosure comprising Vadrying chamber; a centrally located rotary fan revolving in aV verticalplane Within the drying chamber and adapted tocirculate the air radiallyin all directions therein; a conveyor tracing a series of vertical loopsWithin the drying chamber in symmetrical relationto said fan; and anumber of heating units similarly disposed witli respect to said 'fanbetween adjacent runs of the conveyor.

In testimony whereof, VWe have hereunto signed our names atPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, this 12th day of December, 1919.

THOMAS ALLSOP. VALTER W. SIBSON. lVitnesses JAMES H. BELL,

E. L. FULLERTON.

